Although Cyclops has been featured multiple times across X-Men movies, there are still certain optic powers and abilities he’s yet to fully display.

Although Cyclops has appeared in 8 different X-Men movies, a collection of optic powers and adjacent abilities still have yet to be fully seen or fleshed out on-screen. As seen in the original Marvel Comics, Scott Summers has perfected several ways of using his incredible optic blasts beyond the obvious. Likewise, Cyclops also possesses some impressive abilities and skills which help complement his mutant abilities quite well.

As one of Professor Xavier’s first students and X-Men, Scott Summers has long been one of the team’s most frequent leaders. Known for his ruby quartz visor and the ability to fire powerful optic blasts, Cyclops is one of Marvel’s most iconic mutant superheroes. However, there are quite a few abilities and powers that have yet to be seen with live-action versions of Cyclops in the various X-Men films (something the MCU can hopefully help correct).

10. Traversal Beams

Scott Summers Can Seriously Move

As seen in the premiere episode of X-Men ’97, members of the titular team break into a warehouse controlled by the anti-mutant group known as the Friends of Humanity who’ve recently captured Robert Da Costa (Sunspot). This includes Cyclops who leads the charge in the rescue, relying on his optic blasts to take on the Friends of Humanity and their new Sentinel arm blasters. However, he doesn’t just use his classic eye beams for offense.

X-Men 97’s premiere notably features Cyclops firing his optic blasts traversally, firing them in such a way that he’s propelled across the room to various foes. Sliding around the warehouse to take on multiple thugs in quick succession, it’s quite entertaining to see Cyclops using his optic blasts for more than just simple ranged attacks. As such, perhaps it will be featured in live-action one day with the MCU preparing to debut their own take on Marvel’s mutants very soon.

9. Optic Landings

The Most Epic Superhero Landing

In the same premiere episode of X-Men ’97, Cyclops features another unique use of his optic blasts. While en route to the Sentinels’ creator Bolivar Trask, one of the mutant-hunting robots attacks the X-Men’s Blackbird in midair. Naturally, the team’s fliers grab nearby teammates (Rogue, Storm, and Morph who takes on the form of Archangel). However, Scott Summers proves that he needs no aerial help (for one of the most epic reasons).

Turning his free-fall into a controlled dive, Cyclops wowed several viewers by firing a massive optic blast directly downward to the ground below. Keeping up a large and continuous beam, the sheer force of the blast slows Cyclops’ descent so that he makes a perfectly safe landing. As such, it’s certainly a rare kind of superhero landing that’s certainly worth being shown on the big screen (one can imagine that Deadpool would be quite impressed).

8. Narrowing/Widening Aperture

Very Thin Shots and Wide Beams

On-screen, Cyclops hasn’t really played with a key visor feature from the comics. On the page, Scott Summers can adjust the aperture by focusing his eyes and opening his visor to various degrees, allowing for various sizes and widths of beams. As such, Cyclops’ shots can be incredibly narrow and precise, while also having incredibly wide and powerful beams if he so chooses.

A rather humorous example of Cyclops’ optic precision comes from the earliest X-Men eras with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when Scott was able to unlock a door for Ice Man by firing a small and controlled beam through the keyhole. However, relatively darker examples include firing needle-like shots to aid in the use of interrogation, while the aforementioned optic blast to slow his descent is a great example of Cyclops opening up his visor for a much larger optic blast.

7. Ricochet Shots

Hitting All The Corners

The comics have also established that Scott Summers can use both hard and reflective surfaces to his great advantage. This is because Cyclops’ optic blast canonically be ricocheted across multiple points of contact, allowing Scott to pull off some impressive shots on the page. However, the same level of versatility has yet to be seen in live-action whether it’s James Marsden’s version of Scott Summers or the younger version played by Tye Sheridan.

There are so many examples of Cyclops using a well-placed ricochet shot in the comics. Not only is it a testament to his countless hours of training in the Danger Room to hone his powers, but it also confirms just how versatile his optical mutant power is beyond simple blasts of energy. After all, the ability to strike from multiple ranged angles has great tactical value.

6. Psionic Field

Cyclops’ Eye Beams Can’t Hurt Him

Another mutant power of Scott Summers’ that isn’t really addressed in the moves is the pionic field that covers his entire body. This field is what protects Cyclops from being harmed by his own optic blasts, as well as the powerful energy expelled by his brother Alex aka Havok. However, Scott is still vulnerable to the energy of his other brother Gabriel aka Vulcan.

Cyclops’ psionic field is generated by his mind and is connected to the source of his optical powers. Additionally, his visor is resonant to his mind’s psionic field and is similarly protected. Without this particular mutant ability, his more prominent and visible mutant power would undoubtedly kill him. As such, it would be nice if Cyclops’ pionic field was at some point referenced in future films, given how important it is.

5. Energy Absorption

Eat Your Heart Out, Bishop

An impressive yet rarely seen Cyclops power is his ability to absorb and expel alternate forms of energy beyond the typical solar. Not unlike the time-traveler Bishop whose primary mutant gift is similar, Cyclops can canonically absorb energy and redirect it out through his eyes, often making his optic blasts even more powerful than normal. However, the unique drawback for Scott is that it’s a more painful process than normal.

One of the most notable examples of Cyclops’ power absorption in action is in 1979’s X-Men Annual #3 where Storm blasts Cyclops with her lightning. Despite being incredibly painful, the lightning amplifies Cyclops’ optic blasts to an extremely high level. He then uses that power to charge up a device which saves the entire planet of Polemachus.

4. Brilliant Tactician

Cyclops Is Team Leader For A Reason

While it hasn’t been shown on-screen in the various X-Men, Scott Summers is a genius tactician. Possessing a brilliant mind for formulating plans and strategies, Cyclops’ proficiency in leading his fellow X-Men has nothing to do with his mutant power. He truly has a gift for threat assessment and executing impressive solutions, often through the combination of various mutant powers possessed by his team.

In Uncanny X-Men #541, Cyclops gets asked if he has a Plan B. In response, Cyclops says he has a “Plan 2”, as using letters for his plans implies he’s only come up with 26 variations for success. That quote is both humorous and impressive proof of Cyclops’ gift for strategy and battle tactics.

3. Psychic Training

Courtesy of Jean Grey

Cyclops certainly has a type. Having been in a relationship with the telepath Jean Grey since he was a teenager, Scott Summers was trained by Jean herself to guard his mind from psychic probes and even from more aggressive psychic attacks. As such, his later romance with Emma Frost resulted in some surprise when the fellow telepath discovered just how resistant Cyclops’ mind was, especially the “black box” forged within his mind which not even she could access.

At one point in the original comics, Cyclops was even able to imprison a portion of the Void within his mind’s black box (The Sentry’s corruptive, darker half). This was something that Professor Xavier himself could hardly believe. As such, it’s a testament to Cyclops’ impressive psychic resistance, which is essentially a power in and of itself. Not everyone can so easily ward off telepaths and other mind-controllers in the Marvel Universe.

2Astounding Spatial Awareness

Cyclops Knows All The Angles

While Cyclops’ optic blasts can bounce off surfaces for epic ricochet shots, Scott Summers can execute this move to a massively high degree thanks to his beyond-human spatial awareness. Essentially, Cyclops can view complex geometric relationships in his mind when observing any given situation or conflict he may find himself in with his team. Naturally, this also ties back to his brilliant mind for battle tactics.

Cyclops’ spatial awareness is what makes his optic powers so cool. He knows exactly where to hit to achieve the outcome he’s looking for, whether it’s hitting the most targets with a single-eye beam, hitting a target that’s perhaps protected from a frontal assault, or even those who are hiding behind corners. To that end, the above image from 2021’s X-Men #7 is both a recent and one of the most popular examples of Cyclops’ spatial awareness at work, particularly the blast into a traffic light to split his eye beams to provide Scott with even more angles of attack.

1. Powering Technology

Cyclops Is A Living Weapons System

Cyclops can also use his optic blasts to power and boost technology, such as the aforementioned moment from the comics when he charges up the device that helped save Polemachus. Cyclops has been the living advanced weapons system for the X-Men’s Blackbird for years, using his optic blasts to aid in aerial dogfights and the like. Essentially, Scott Summers can act as both a living battery and a source of ammo depending on the technology.

One of the most epic examples comes from 2021’s X-Men #1 where the newly formed team of heroes elected by the mutants of Krakoa came together to form their very own giant X-Mech. Naturally, Scott was positioned inside the mech’s head so he could fire massive optical blasts at the massive kaiju-sized alien they were fighting. All in all, it’s certainly the kind of thing X-Men movie fans dream of one day seeing big screen-screen for Scott Summers’ Cyclops.